Discovering the Unknown
by par-ic
Summary: Response to CSIaddict2's superhero challenge. The members of the CSI nightshift share with each other how exactly they discovered their new powers.
1. Sara

**A/N** This is my first supernatural story, so bare with me, please. CSIaddict2 asked me to write this for her challenge, and because I love all of her fics, I just had to repay her fr all of her hard work. :) The entire team has powers and each chapter focuses on how they discovered them. This chapter focuses on Sara. Enjoy!

**Beta **LLK (You are a life-saver. Kind of like those yummy candies. Not the gummy version, cause those are gross.)

**Challenge **Must include all team members (but smiley faces from me if it centers around Catherine and/or Warrick) :) Must involve the CSI's as superheroes/heroes. (I was watching 'Heroes' the other day and got the idea)! For those of you who don't watch the show, this does NOT have to be a crossover. Just the idea of them secretly being superheroes...mwahaha... OR villains?? Could be fun! Any length.

**

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**

**Superhero Challenge**

**Discovering the Unknown **

**Chapter 1**

The Las Vegas night could not have been clearer, but for the CSI night shift—all sitting in an overly cramped SUV—it couldn't have been a more confusing, ominous time. It had been Greg's ingenious plan to cram all six people into the car, with hope to be more eco-friendly, in order to get to the far-off crime scene. He had even offered to sit in the back, all by himself.

True to his word, there he sat, with Grissom and Sara in the front, and Catherine in between Nick and Warrick in the middle row. The atmosphere was tense, as everyone tried to control their underlying emotions.

Catherine slammed her hands to her ears. "Shut up!" she yelled, although no one had said a word.

"Sorry, Cath," Warrick apologized with his shoulders hunched forward, trying not to touch his female coworker, "but we can't stop our thoughts."

"You can try," she grumbled. Greg laughed nervously as he averted his eyes to the floor. Sara turned around and glared at the younger man, but he wasn't paying attention.

"I don't understand why you are so uptight; you're invincible, for God's sake!" Nick spoke up in his friend's defense.

"You try being shot, and then standing up like nothing happened, Nick. I don't feel human."

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_"Sara! Grab that extra print powder would you please? Grissom called from down the hall of the crime scene. _

_"Sure, no problem," she answered. The duo had been working the scene in the victim's, Marcus White's, home. There had been a struggle in the kitchen, leading up to the body found in the master bed room. Sara had leaned over the case and picked out her spare powder when someone cleared their throat behind her. Thinking it was her boss, she turned around to face him. _

_"What, was I too…?" She stopped when she realized that it wasn't Grissom. Instead, Sara was starring down the barrel of a stranger's gun. She dropped the powder as she froze in place. Fear crept in faster as she realized, with the man standing as close as he was, there was no way she was able to draw her gun to defend herself. She watched silently as Grissom appeared in the doorway, his eyes wide, before running for the exit. _

_"Sir, really, please don't do this," she pleaded. The masked man laughed as, behind him, the officers surrounded him._

_"Put down your gun and put your hands were I can see them!" Jim yelled. Sara couldn't tear her eyes from the gun. In a matter of seconds, she heard the sounds of, first the suspect's gun going off, then the many coming from the police. Instantaneous pain engulfed her torso as the force of the bullet knocked her down. Her eyes began to fog over, but just as soon as it had started, the fog cleared. Sara clutched her stomach while she leaned into the corner of two walls, feeling the blood seep through her fingers. Bleeding meant she was hit, but by the time she was able to move her hand, the wound had sealed, leaving just the left over blood. She felt no pain, no bullet hole; nothing. Grissom ran to her rescue kneeling by her side._

_"Sara! Are you okay?" he asked with genuine concern. _

_"Yeah, Gil; I'm fine," there was no hidden pain in her voice and her shocked expression was gone. Sara placed her hands on the walls for leverage, pulling herself up. She was quiet while Grissom gently forced her into the hall, as all the police officers were focused on the now-dead suspect. _

_"Really, Gil, I'm fine," she reassured him. "I don't know why, but I'm fine." Sara wiped the excess blood from her shirt, smearing it in the process, to show that, in fact, there were no bullet wounds._

_

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_

Sorry it's so short. It was either short chapters or a really long one-shot. Long one-shots are intimidating and I don't like reading them. So I won't put you through that torture.


	2. Greg

**A/N** This chapter focuses on Greg. This is the last of my already writen chapters, now you have to wait to get the rest.

**Beta **LLK

**Challenge** Must include all team members (but smiley faces from me if it centers around Catherine and/or Warrick) :) Must involve the CSI's as superheroes/heroes. (I was watching 'Heroes' the other day and got the idea)! For those of you who don't watch the show, this does NOT have to be a crossover. Just the idea of them secretly being superheroes...mwahaha... OR villains?? Could be fun! Any length.

**

* * *

**

**Superhero Challenge**

**Discovering the Unknown**

**Chapter 2**

"Wow Sara, at least your first time was interesting. Mine was so…so," Greg paused while he thought of an appropriate word, "bland and embarrassing."

"I thought it was kind of funny." Catherine shrugged her shoulders.

"Of course you would," Nick commented, earning him a jab in the ribs from the strawberry blond.

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"_For a wedding planner, this guy was a bit of a pack-rat," Greg observed as he pushed through the clutter in the missing person's home._

"_Oh, you would know?" Sofia asked with a smirk._

"_No! Don't they have to be super organized?" he shot back. Greg picked up random odds and ends, none of them grabbing his attention. _

_Soon Greg tripped over a large suitcase, extracting a large laugh from the female detective. Greg looked down, but, suddenly, he didn't see the brown leather surface covered with stickers from different locations. Instead, he could see the contents within: a check book, whistle, swim trunks, and sunscreen._

"_What's in the suitcase?" Sofia asked, expecting him to open it. Greg recited the list of objects before even touching the case. As soon as he tilted the box to show her, revealing his 'guess' as the truth, he watched Sofia's mouth drop open. _

"_What are you; Grissom?" she asked._

"_Yeah, I guess," Greg responded, his voice mixed with worry and excitement._

"_Let's go see what the neighbor has to say," Sofia suggested. She let Greg lead the way out the door, which of course, he saw right through. _

_Greg's mind was clouded with confusion. He couldn't figure out what was happening to him or why. All he knew was he, Greg Sanders, had X-Ray Vision. _Wow_, he thought, _DefinitePotential_. _

_The sound of an older woman's crackly voice contrasting with Sofia's smooth accent brought him out of his head. _

"_Ma'am, all we want is for you to answer a few questions," Sofia tried to reason with the short, portly woman. _

"_No! You are trying to pin this on me!" the woman yelled._

"_Really, we aren't. We just want to know all that you know about Mr. Flank's disappearance," Greg said as he finally took in the appearance of the woman. As soon as he focused, Greg regretted it. He could see everything, leaving him with a mental image he would rather have gone his whole life without. Quickly, Greg spun on his heels and ran for his SUV. _

_Back at the lab, Greg kept his head down as he moved from station to station, picking up clues to his case along the way. He had figured out that if he focused on any amount of detail, he was able to see through the object in question. Such as clothes. Greg had once figured, in one of his weird off topic thoughts that never related to anything, that if he could have a super power, it would be X-Ray vision for the sole purpose of seeing through women's tops. Of course, that was when he was fifteen. Now it was just awkward for him to be around female _co-workers_._

_Now he had to trudge around, barely letting people register in his mind. He knew he would seem distant, possibly even ignorant to the people he talked to. At least until he ran through the halls screaming his new ability for all to hear. _

"_Greg, I took the honor of sparing you the pain of listening to Hodges talk," Catherine's harsh, yet soft and motherly voice rang through the hallowed halls. Greg froze where he stood. How was he supposed to go about working with a woman like Catherine? Or Sara? Or anyone else for that matter? _

"_No need to thank me," she added sarcastically when he didn't speak._

"_Thanks, Catherine," he said in an attempt to humor her. She merely gave him a small smile. Greg still hadn't looked at her once. His eyes remained focused just left of her face, staring past, or rather through, the door behind her. Unfortunately, she seemed to notice. Catherine shifted her weight to her right—his left—with a smirk on her face. _

"_Don't be embarrassed, Greg," She said with a laugh before walking hurriedly away. Greg turned around, watching her leave, in bewilderment. _She's in people's heads now? _He couldn't help but ask himself._

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_Told you they were short chapters. Sorry about that. Hmm...who should I write about next? Any suggestions?_


	3. Grissom

_A/N It's been weeks sense my last update...sorry about that. Anyway, this chapter is Grissom's POV. I don't think I pointed out EXACTLY what his super power his..._

_BETA: LLK_

_DISCLAIMER: I own nothing._

**Superhero Challenge**

**Discovering the Unknown**

**Chapter 3**

"I remember that case," Grissom said thoughtfully, "I can't imagine why anyone would kill over a hat."

"Here I am, going through an early mid-life crisis, and all you can think about is the cases details?" Greg asked with a shocked tone.

"You can see through things and you classify that as a crisis?" Warrick asked, turning to look at the man. Greg simply shrugged.

"I only remember that case because it's when I discovered my gift," the older man explained. Sara looked at him, confused.

"Gift?" she scoffed.

"What else would you call them?" Greg inquired.

"Annoying!" Nick and Catherine responded at the same time.

"Well, mine is quite useful," Grissom added.

**...**

_Grissom walked out of his office after speaking to a very nervous Greg Sanders. He shook his head in disbelief as he went over the younger man's excuse for wanting the rest of the night off. Who got that upset over a dead rabbit?_

_He walked past the break room, peering into it quickly as he past. Catherine was lying on the old couch with her fingers massaging her temples. Before he could even think about stopping and asking what was wrong, Jim Brass approached his side. _

"_The wedding planner, John Boris, was found half dead on the corner of forty-fourth. He is at Desert Palm, but they don't expect him to make it," the police captain explained._

"_Any good news?" Grissom asked._

"_Yeah, there was a man speeding away from the scene when we got there. So far he has admitted to placing the anonymous nine-one-one call then leaving as soon as he heard the sirens. Now we are just waiting for you to collect any evidence," Jim finished as the duo came upon the lab's exit. _

"_Aaron Kris, meet Dr. Grissom," Jim introduced the suspect with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. The man crossed his large, extremely muscled arms over his chest. _

"_Why am I here? I've already told you all I know," he said defensively._

_Grissom sat down in the steel chair across from the suspect as a strange sensation overcame him. He couldn't see anything anymore; it was all white. There was no trace of the interrogation room left. He couldn't hear anything besides the shrill, continuous ringing. Suddenly, the sound faded and his vision came back._

_It didn't seem like any time had passed, or that Jim had responded to Aaron's previous comment. The several minutes that seemed to have past in the white abyss, only lasted a few seconds. Jim looked back at him with an inquiring expression. Grissom acknowledged him with a small nod of his head before turning back to the suspect. _

"_Which is?" he asked. The man scoffed and leaned forward in his chair._

"_I found the guy on the side of the road and got out to check things out. I stuck around after calling the—you guys, until I realized how bad that looked," The Aaron finished before grumbling something about tourists writing down his plate numbers._

_Again the sensation overcame Grissom, but not as strongly. He could tell where he was, but surrounding Aaron's head was a white cloud and all the sound was drowned out by the ringing. Unlike before, the vision went away rather quickly. Grissom blinked several times._

_After an hour of going in circles with the suspect, seeing the light, and hearing the sound, Grissom walked out of the police station and back into the lab before stepping into the break room. Catherine was long gone, leaving Warrick in her place. He seemed uncomfortable and awkward in the chair farthest from the door. For a few minutes, both sat quietly in their thoughts. _

_Grissom went through every symptom he could remember from his genetic hearing loss—the problem he had gotten surgically repaired—but couldn't find anything that explained his previous encounter. _

_He looked up at Warrick, trying to decide if it was the right time to speak. The man before him looked exhausted. Warrick had his elbows propped on the table in front of him and his head in his hands. _

"'_Rick, would you mind helping me with something?" Grissom finally asked._

"_Sure, anything to get my mind off things," Warrick agreed. He stood up and walked to the cupboard that held the staff's coffee cups inside. Grissom watched as Warrick reached for the metal handle with haste, but when he pulled to open the door, it ripped from its hinges._

_Grissom stared at him with intrigue, but didn't say anything to his subordinate._

"_Maybe now isn't such a good time?" Warrick said, his words twisting into a question. Grissom nodded and left the room, hurrying for the Trace lab._

"_Hodges, you enjoy working with me, right?" Grissom asked. Regret flooded his system as soon as the lab tech answered._

"_Of course, sir! Working with you is very enjoyable!" he said with a little too much enthusiasm. Grissom silently rolled his eyes, but the other man was too busy putting his things away as fast as he could. He walked out of the room, knowing that Hodges was only two steps behind him._

"_So, which case do you need my help with?" Hodges asked once the two had entered a layout room. Grissom turned to look at him._

"_This is, uh, more personal," he answered, watching the man raise his eyebrows incredulously, and then look around the room._

"_Okay, tell me what you need _me_ to do," Hodges said, seeming to be extremely proud of the fact he was helping his boss. Although, Grissom knew that he only went to the lab tech in order to keep his team from worrying. _

"_Lie to me."_

"_Um, okay?" Hodges' confused expression broke through the haughty sneer. Grissom sat in the chair nearest to him before explaining. _

"_I need you to say a series of statements. Vary from lies and truths randomly, but don't tell me which is which." Hodges seemed eager to help as he pulled up his own chair. _

"_Once, when I was twelve, I was dared to eat a beetle," Hodges started his list as Grissom jotted down the question and his answer—determined by the presence of the white cloud and loud noise, or lack of._

_The two went through many of these experiments before Grissom sent Hodges away, but first making him promise to keep quiet. _

_Grissom now sat in his office, going over the results he had written down. It didn't make any sense to him. He hadn't made one mistake; he knew when Hodges was lying and when he was telling the truth. It also explained how he had known what had happened to the late wedding planner and Aaron Kris. Grissom leaned back in his chair, contemplating what he was going to do about Hodges' overactive imagination and big mouth._

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	4. Warrick

_I'm so sorry I haven't updated this in months! Life's been busy and I have to stop writing other stories without finishing the ones I already post. I have ten unfinsihed stories. Wow.  
Enjoy this one!_

_Beta: The always wonderful, Lostladyknight._

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Superhero Challenge

Discovering the Unknown

Chapter 4

"You trusted Hodges?" Warrick asked. Grissom nodded once while still looking ahead.

"I'm surprised he kept his mouth closed. He could barely control himself," Catherine laughed. Her movement, plus the pothole Grissom had just driven over, caused her and the rest of the group to jostle in their seats. Greg's head smacked into the ceiling and Catherine bounced to the left, closer to Warrick.

Warrick tensed up at the contact, looking down at her. Catherine met his gaze, her smile quickly faded before she shifted back into her seat.

"What's with you?" Greg asked Warrick as he carefully moved his eyes to the back of the man's head.

"Nothin'." The younger man grimaced at the hostility directed towards him.

"Look, I realize we're all a little uptight right now, but don't take it out on us," Nick warned, his voice strong, yet he kept his gaze pointed out the window. Catherine placed her hand gently on Warrick's knee and looked back up at him again.

"Speaking of taking it out on the wrong things, why did you pull that cabinet door off when I asked for your help?" Grissom asked with curiosity.

"I almost killed my girlfriend. If I wanted to take it out on something, I would have. The cabinet was an accident. I can't exactly control myself right now," Warrick responded, extracting a small gasp from the woman next to him.

"You almost killed someone!"

"Who's your girlfriend?" Both Sara and Greg yelled at once.

"Jeez, guys! We're all right here!" Nick reminded them of just how close they were to each other.

Catherine ignored the thoughts of the people around her—as best she could—and focused on Warrick's mind, despite his negative thoughts. She deliberately shifted so she was lying against his side and placed her head on his shoulder.

…

"_And you are sure about this?" Warrick questioned the woman on the other end of his phone call. _

"_Of course I'm sure. Don't be so nervous, it's just a date, we've done it before," she answered._

"_You're right. I'll see you tomorrow." With that the two said their 'good byes' and hung up._

_As the day's first light shone through the windows, Warrick stirred in his bed, waking himself up. He sat up and blinked against the brightness, his consciousness finally catching up with his mind. A smile spread across his face when he realized the previous night's call. He had finally done it. He had finally put all haste aside and asked out the woman who frequently occupied his dreams. The only thing was he had done that before too. The two had been out together a few times before, but it was never anything overly serious, no matter how bad he wanted the relationship to progress. _

_Warrick lifted himself out of bed and towards his closet. He had woken up early, his excitement had bubbled over until his body could no longer be at rest. He searched through the many shirts that hung on hangers until he found one acceptable for both his date and his shift at the lab later that night. After putting on his black button up and pulling on his favorite pair of jeans, Warrick walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. _

_He wasn't quite sure how he was going to start the conversations, let alone get her to agree to a second date. Warrick poured the black liquid into a mug and decided to focus on other things. Like getting ready for the day that lie ahead of him. _

_After showering and finishing off the rest of his coffee, Warrick grabbed his keys and headed off to his date's house. He pulled into the driveway and made it all the way to the door before his nerves caught up with him. _

_Catherine seemed to sense his presence from behind the door, because within seconds of Warrick raising his fists to knock she had opened it. _

"_Hey," Warrick said as he took in her appearance. Even in her regular work attire she was stunning. Catherine's strawberry blonde curls fell in spirals to her shoulders and her bangs framed her flawless features. _

"_Hey. Let's go, I'm starving," Catherine said as she grabbed her purse from a table just inside the door. Warrick laughed slightly before the two walked to his car. _

"_I'm so glad we decided to do this," Catherine said as they drove closer to their destination. _

"_I am too. To tell you the truth, I didn't think you would want to."_

_Warrick turned away from the road and watched as Catherine looked at him with an unbelieving look on her face. _

"_And why wouldn't I?" she asked as they pulled into the parking lot of the team's favorite diner. Warrick smirked at her._

"_Because you don't 'fish from the company pond'. Now stay right there," he answered before jumping out and hurrying to Catherine's door. _

_He gripped the handle and pulled, but the door didn't just open, it came completely off the hinges. _

"_Umm," Warrick said as he help up the door with his hand still gripping the handle. Catherine's mouth hung wide open in utter shock at the sight. _

_Warrick set the door against the side of the car before returning to Catherine's door. He offered his hand to help her out. She placed her hand in his and he tried to gently help her down. Instead he ended up pulling her right on top of him. The shock knocked them both to the ground. _

_Catherine rolled onto her back as she gripped her arm, "What the hell, Rick?" _

"_I'm sorry, I didn't mean too," Warrick apologized before standing up. He offered his hand again, but Catherine shook her head. _

"_Maybe I should get up by myself," she said before unsteadily placing her legs beneath her and standing. _

"_Cath, you're shoulder," Warrick said looking at her injured limb. Catherine continued to hold on to her arm, trying not to move it._

"_Yeah, I know. It's out of the joint. Call a cab and take me to the emergency room. There's no way we are taking that," She said pointing to the door-less car. _

_Warrick could hear the anger and annoyance in her voice and quickly pulled his cell phone out to dial the number for the local cab service._


	5. Nick

_I wrote a huge amount of chapters for all my storys a couple days ago. I'm finally getting them up._

_Beta: LLK --amazing person_

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Superhero Challenge

Discovering the Unknown

Chapter 5

"Ouch! Are you okay, Cath?" Greg asked from his spot in the back of the SUV.

"Yeah, I'm fine, a little sore," Catherine said sweetly, her head still resting on Warrick's tensed shoulder. She placed her hand in his and squeezed slightly, reminding him that he was forgiven. He didn't dare squeeze back.

"That explains the cabinet door," Grissom pointed out, his eyes never leaving the road.

"Yeah," Warrick breathed, he turned his head to Catherine while shifting so she was more comfortable, "I'm really sorry, babe,"

Catherine smiled at the term of endearment while Sara turned around to look at Greg and Nick, a smirk written across her face.

"I win, pay up boys!" she said happily. Catherine and Warrick looked at her then to the two men.

"We kind of had a pot going. On when you two would pull your heads from your asses," Nick said, awaiting the wrath from the couple.

"Can I pay you next week, Sar? I kind of burned my wallet when I was freaking out about my power," Greg asked pleadingly. No one dared to respond.

"You guys remember the movie Sixth Sense?" Nick asked, "Because I feel like I'm living it."

…

_Nick sat alone in the break room, contemplating his current case. He had just finished processing the scene, but had yet been to Autopsy. He could barely bring himself to review the evidence he had brought in._

_It had always been in his nature to identify with victims, especially with children. He got to the scene later than the coroner, so all that was left to do was process. And what he found was more than enough to tell the story of what had happened._

_There was blood all over every object in the room. Most of it pooled in the center of the small bed. He had found semen on the bed sheets. The girl was only four. It took an extremely sick minded person to do something like that. At first, Nick immediately suspected the father, but the man's tears and his sincerity led Nick to believe otherwise._

_Nick gripped his cup of coffee between both hands as he leaned over the table. _

"_Ehem," a small voice cleared her throat. Nick looked at the doorway, and found a small child staring back at him. The girl was young, her bouncing brown curls and big blue eyes reminded him of the couple he met today. _

"_Hi, sweetie. Are you lost?" He asked kindly, pushing the case details from him mind. The girl nodded shyly. Nick stood up, walked in front of the girl, and kneeled down. _

"_My name is Nick; can I help you find your mommy and daddy?" The young girl nodded again. "What's your name?"_

"_Caitlin," she said before sticking her thumb in her mouth. Nick paused, she had the same name as the victim, the pain from the parent's voices rang out in his head. _

_Nick stood and took her free hand, leading her out of the break room. The two wandered the halls for a few minutes, receiving odd stares from everyone who crossed their path. Finally Nick gave up, deciding to ask Judy, the receptionist, instead. _

"_Hey. Judy," Nick greeted the short haired blond, Caitlin's head wasn't quite visible over the desk. Judy smiled_

"_What can I get you Mr. Stokes?" she asked. _

"_I found a little girl who is missing her parents. Would you mind looking around, I can't find them anywhere."_

"_Of course Mr. Stokes, what does she look like?" Judy asked. Nick furrowed his brow in confusion, but gave her quick descriptions. He kept the little girl's hand in his as he lead her way and back towards the break room. _

_He saw the closed case file on the table and silently cursed himself for forgetting about his job. Nick knelt down before Caitlin again. _

"_Now Caitlin, I'm going to have to ask you to stay here for a few minutes by yourself. I'm going to call my good friend Catherine to come and watch you while I'm gone, okay?" _

_Caitlin nodded her head, her thumb still stuck in her mouth. Nick pointed to the couch to his left and Caitlin scrambled onto it._

_Nick pulled out his phone and sent a text message to Catherine, explaining the situation. She responded quickly, agreeing to help. Nick said goodbye to the small girl before grabbing the file and leaving for the morgue. He passed Catherine on the way and thanked her. _

_He approached the morgue and took a deep breath before entering. Doctor Al Robins and his assistant, known as Super Dave, stood before the examination table. _

"_I'm sorry I'm late, I got a little caught up," he apologized. David gave a small smile as Doctor Robins began to speak._

"_That's okay, Nick. I was just finishing up with Ms. Caitlin here," he explained. Nick stepped farther into the room to view the body. As soon as he saw her pale, lifeless face, Nick shook his head._

"_No, that's not possible! I just saw this girl, she's not dead." Nick tried to reason with himself. Doctor Robins put his hand on Nick's shoulder. _

"_I know this case is getting to all of us, but use your head. There's no way you could have just seen this girl. She's been dead for over six hours."_

"_That can't be possible. I just held her hand and was looking for her parents. It just isn't possible!" Nick said, confusion, shock, sadness, and fear, as well as every other emotion plastered on his face._

"_No, no, no." he repeated before running out of the morgue. _

_As quickly as he could, Nick made his way back towards the break room, expecting to find Catherine with Caitlin. _

_When he got there, the only one there was Catherine. She was laying on the couch, her eyes closed and an ice-pack on her forehead._

"_Where's she?" Nick asked as he came through the doorway. _

"_I'm sorry Nick, there wasn't anyone here," Catherine explained as she sat up and began to rub her temples. Nick's eyes widened as his suspicions were confirmed. "I looked and asked around, but no one has seen a little girl all day."_


	6. Catherine

_Lucky you guys...two chapters in a row._

_Now, Catherine wrapped up everybody on the team. Would you like to see a wrap up chapter of them figuring out where the powers came from? Or should I just leave it as this? Let me know soon, because if you do, I need to get cracking on an idea._

_Beta: LLK_

* * *

Superhero Challenge

Discovering the Unknown

Chapter 6

"I'm so sorry, Nicky," Catherine apologized, sitting up and facing the Texan, "I didn't know how to tell you that she was all in your head."

"It's fine, Catherine. It just freaked me out a bit, that's all," Nick responded.

"You. See. Dead. People." Greg said incredulously, dragging out each word. Nick nodded.

"It's too bad nothing they told you could hold up in court. Even getting all of the answers directly from the victim and looking for specific evidence to support it would allow for reasonable doubt," Grissom explained. Catherine doubled over in pain, groaning and holding her head. Warrick, gently as he could, put his hand on her back.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. Catherine sat up.

"You people and your damn thoughts!" she explained, "Each one of you, at the same time, instantly thought of numerous ways the Grissom was right. Not only was that overwhelmingly loud in my head, but it was an insane amount of disappointment." The rest of the group seemed confused.

"That many people should not tell Grissom he is right all at once. His small ego might overflow," she elaborated. The SUV's inhabitants burst out with laughter.

"You know, Catherine, I think your ability is quite useful also," Grissom complimented.

"Not when you are walking around the lab," Catherine countered.

…

_Catherine had just gotten back from her scene and was in the middle of dropping off evidence to Trace, for some reason, Hodges was in an odd mood. _

"_Just leave your addition to my work induced suicide on the table," he sighed as she walked in. Catherine frowned in confusion, but she didn't want an explanation. _

"_No problem," she said, her voice causing Hodges to turn around, "Just an unknown substance on a spoon that I found lodged in a vic's throat. _

"I'd like to stick something down your throat."

_Catherine froze. She had heard his comment, clear as day, but Hodges' lips didn't move. _

"_I'm sorry?" she asked. _

"_I didn't say anything," Hodges replied. _

"_Then what did you say about my throat?" she asked him, one eyebrow raised. _

"_Nothing. I didn't say anything," Hodges said quickly, not looking her in the eyes. Catherine turned to leave. _

"She's in my head now?" _She heard him scream to himself. Despite the situation, she smiled to herself and continued out of the room. Catherine started to walk down the busy hall and instantly she could hear voices coming from everywhere. _

"Note to self: Call Mom."

"How am I supposed to tell my wife?"

"When's lunch?"

_None of the voices came and went like the people they were seemingly coming from as they past Catherine in the hall. _

"Check prints, then go after perps."

"Did I leave the stove on? Nah, but I did forget to feed Whiskers?"

"I'm gonna kill him, I think I'm really gonna do it this time."

_Catherine hurried the rest of the way to the DNA lab, determined to get out of the noise. She had a feeling she knew what was going on, she just didn't want to admit it. _

"_Hey," Catherine greeted the lab tech and other CSI in the room._

"_Hey, Cath," Greg said while Wendy smiled and went back to work. Greg looked nervous about being in the same room as the two women. _

"This won't end well." _Catherine heard Greg say; although his mouth hadn't moved. Her suspicions were quickly being confirmed._

"_So did you get anything from that swab?" Catherine asked Wendy, directing her attention on the lab tech. _

"_There was no hits in CODIS. Sorry."_

_Catherine could hear Wendy try and rack her brain for something that would be useful in the case._

"_It's fine, Wendy. Thanks for the help," she said with a half smile. Catherine turned and left the room, knowing Greg was just behind her, a full out grin plastered on her face as she heard what Greg was thinking. She couldn't help it; he was yelling at himself for looking down. _

_The grin slipped off her face as she realized the massive headache that had crept up on her. Catherine walked towards the break room and Greg turned the other way. She walked straight to the freezer and pulled out an ice pack. She then laid on the couch and placed it on her forehead. _

So I hear thoughts,_ Catherine told herself. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out why this sudden…ability had come upon her. Soon she drifted off, only to be woken up a few minutes later by her cell phone ringing. Catherine stood and walked out of the room, bracing herself for the thoughts she would have to face._

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_Let me know..._


	7. Discovering the Unknown

_So this is the last chapter. *tear* I loved writing this peice, it was like a comic relief. The whole not realistic thing was pretty cool too. Thank's to CSIaddict22 for asking me to complete her challenge, I'm sorry it took so long. _

_Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers. I love you guys. Send me a challenge anytime, I'll do my best to complete it. _

_Thanks to LLk for betaing, agian. You are awesome._

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Superhero Challenge

Discovering the Unknown

Chapter 7

"People think some weird things," Greg commented, remembering back to what Hodges had thought.

"You should be one to talk," Catherine responded, "I get a headache just looking at you!"

"Has anyone stopped to wonder where these abilities have come from?" Grissom asked. The team looked around at each other, but none had said a word.

"Um, guys?" Sara started to speak as they pulled into the neighborhood where the crime had occurred.

The houses' windows were covered in tin-foil, as well as the doors and walkways. There weren't any cars in any of the driveways, only spots of green liquid that had dried in the Las Vegas heat. The streets were deserted, other than the mass of law enforcement cars at the end.

Grissom sped up, and eventually came to a stop next to an unmarked, black Taurus. The team stepped out of the car, and then went around to the trunk, grabbing their equipment and Greg from its hold.

With Grissom leading the way, they all walked towards the house surrounded with yellow crime scene tape. Brass stood a little off to the side from the door, speaking with an odd looking man. His dark hair was smothered with too much hair gel, causing it to be entirely slicked back. His eye glasses were covered in a layer of foil, which was also wrapped around his legs, over his jeans, and around his wrists. At the sight of the CSIs, his mouth hung open and he dropped to his knees making Brass take a step back.

"I have been waiting for you!" the man announced as he continued to bow. Greg and Catherine couldn't stop themselves from giggling slightly. Suddenly they stopped, realizing something.

Catherine couldn't hear anyone's thoughts but her own, and while she relished in the silence, she couldn't help but wonder why.

Greg couldn't see through things any more. He quickly pumped his fist in the air, and then returned to his 'professional, yet bored' stance.

The rest of the team felt something different in themselves as well, although, no one said a word. Instead they went into the tinfoil covered home, discovering more of the shiny material covering the inside.

For hours they processed in silent, unaware of the changes happening in their bodies. Once they had finished, they met back out side.

"I hope you found what you were looking for, as well as something extra," the foiled man said to the group.

"Guys, meet Leo. He has just confessed to this murder…and he was just about to tell me why he did it," Jim explained, turning back to Leo.

"I had to make things right again for this team,"--he pointed towards the large group--"I knew this was the only way to get them here. I had to cleanse them from the aliens!"

Catherine and Warrick looked at each other, dumbfounded.

"Okay, Leo," Jim interrupted, placing the cuffs around his wrists. "Time to go to jail, or the loony-bin. Either is fine with me."

As Jim led Leo away, the CSIs returned to the Tahoe, evidence in hand. Once they were all in their seats once again, did anyone speak.

"Aliens?" Greg asked.

"Cleansing?" Nick added.

"He might have just been a lunatic," Sara through in.

"Well, maybe it was both. But it sure does explain what happened to us," Catherine responded. "I don't hear any thoughts anymore."

"And I can't see through your guys' clothes!" Greg said excitedly.

"Oh, so that's what you have been using your powers for!" Warrick exclaimed, thoroughly disgusted. Greg didn't respond.

"Someone lie to me," Grissom ordered.

"I'm not a guy," Nick said the first thing that popped into his mind while Grissom stared at him.

"Either, you're telling the truth, or my ability is gone as well," he said with a smile. Nick's cheeks reddened as he realized what he had said.

"Whoa, I swear I'm a dude!" Nick said defensively as Grissom pulled the car out of park and back onto the street.

"It's okay, Nicky, we believe you," Catherine smirked. Warrick tested his strength by pushing on the door. Nothing happened.

"Wait, that means I can do this." Without thinking, Warrick turned towards Catherine, placed his finger under her chin, tilting her head up, before taking her lips with his own.

After they pulled apart--a few throats being cleared had ruined their fun--Sara turned around.

"Someone punch me in the shoulder." No one in the middle row moved. "Aw, come on. I have to know too."

Catherine raised her fist and hit the back of Sara's shoulder as hard as she could. The brunette gasped and placed her right hand on her left shoulder.

"Warrick, don't ever piss her off," Sara warned happily, rubbing her arm.

"Wouldn't dream of it. Now, should we kill Greg so Nick can see if he is back to normal or not?" Warrick smiled.

"I think I'll take my chances back at the lab," Nick said.

"Thanks, I wouldn't have wanted Catherine to pummel me to death," Greg joked; Catherine turned and glared at him.

"At least we know one thing, aliens or no aliens, we can all go back to living our normal lives," Grissom pointed out.

"I think I'm going to miss our powers," Greg mused out loud, "Who knows, we could have been super heroes, with the spandex and everything!"

The End

7.19.09


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